VIERA, Fla. — Though the Nationals are sitting nearly all of their regulars, manager Davey Johnson is plenty interested to get a look at the players he'll be putting out there in his exhibition opener against Georgetown. That includes right fielder Bryce Harper, third baseman Anthony Rendon and left-hander Matt Purke (scheduled to throw 2-3 innings).

"This is going to be fun for me," Johnson said, "seeing guys I haven't seen perform before in a game."

This is also going to be fun for the Hoyas baseball club, which gets to enjoy an exhibition against a professional organization before heading to Winter Haven for an eight-game tournament against other Northeast college teams that have to come down here for good baseball weather.

"It's a huge thrill for them," said coach Pete Wilk, whose club is 6-2 so far this season. "I heard my shortstop talking about the infield, how unbelievable it is taking groundballs out here. We walked into the clubhouse and their names are up on their lockers. I mean, we don't get that experience. These guys are getting a big-league experience that they won't forget. They won't forget this."

This game isn't being broadcast anywhere, but you're in luck. I'll be providing updates throughout, so please make sure to check back often as the Nationals take the field for the first time in 2012…

This is going to be a fun season. From the new MASN blog:Nationals manager Davey Johnson was so juiced (or, in his words, "frisky") for today's exhibition against Georgetown that he ramped up his morning treadmill session. The result wasn't what the skipper was hoping for."I overloaded my hummingbird rear end and a little air came out of my right hammy," Johnson said with a smile. "So, I'm not quite ready yet, is what I'm trying to say. I'm not quite ready to start the season. I'm on the DL a little bit right now."Can't say I've heard the phrase "overloaded my hummingbird rear end" before, but I'll roll with it.

6thandD said… what happened to that Nats320 dude?You wondering what traumatic childhood experience caused him to turn out like that, or just where he's been lately? Because those are two different answers.

If there's a radar gun in the building, I'm very curious to see where Purke is. Not that he needs to be in mid-season form today, but TCU Freshman Purke was 92-94, AFL Purke was more like 87-89. Still worried about his shoulder and his mechanics.

First game thread of the season! Found this interesting tid bit of trivia on wikipedia for Brett Carroll:On June 8, 2009, Carroll hit his first career home run against Randy Johnson. According to the Elias Sport Bureau, the only other currently active major league player whose first major league home run was hit off a pitcher with at least 300 wins is reliever Jon Rauch, whose only career home run came against Roger Clemens in 2004. Carroll also became the first player ever to hit both a home run and a triple against Johnson in the same game.

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com 02/25/10 6:47 PM ETVIERA, Fla. — The Nationals continue to prepare for the future, purchasing the contract of right-hander Rafael Martin from Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League, according to a baseball source. ESPN.com was the first to indicate that a deal was done. The Nationals have not confirmed they have acquired Martin. Martin, 25, has arrived in Florida, and he took his physical on Thursday and will report to Minor League camp Friday. Washington beat out the Mariners and Yankees for his servicesMartin is coming off a season in which he pitched in 54 games for Saltillo, going 6-3 with a 4.12 ERA. Even more impressive is that he struck out 65 batters in 63 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .244 batting average. Nice to know we'll have him in our minor league system….Go Nats,NatFan05

Not that he needs to be in mid-season form today, but TCU Freshman Purke was 92-94, AFL Purke was more like 87-89.I see you're not following Kilgore's running game blog. It was indeed 91-93 this early in the spring. Apparently, his injury wasn't serious which is good news … fingers crossed.

Seriously re-thinking my stance on Harper starting Opening Day, especially considering LaRoche's shoulder and the negative chain reaction it causes in terms of bats. Let him learn up here. It's starting to become clear to me, that if we are lucky enough to "steal" a WS this year–or even go deep enough to taste it–and then win a couple to a few (or really be there for the final bell in late October for a few)–then I think Harper is going to want to stay, and not go to the Yankees. I think he'll bond with this group. This group already seems to be bonding with each other. This group seems to be special–in attitude, work ethic, and skill. And when I say this I'm also including Rendon and Purke et al, and whoever our starting CF is next year–hopefully Upton. The weakspots are pretty clear and eminently fixable in the near future. Payroll is manageable. There's esprit de corps. Great scouts.Obviously this is dreaming b/c Rendon and Purke haven't done anything yet–and to even talk about winning 1 much less multiple WSs is crazy–but this is what we're all starting to feel, isn't it? Davey's got us all jazzed up feeling that this thing is within our grasp! Go Nats.

Awesome news. Yet another (potential) steal in Rizzo's awesome draft day last summer.Offsets the loss of Solis. Have to hope Rosenbaum, McGreary, Robbie Ray, and Purke continue to progress. Hopefully, Robbie Ray will develop more velocity as he matures.

What's the scoop on Eury Perez? Will he start in A, AA?Probably AA Harrisburg since Michael Taylor (right now the top CF prospect) will be in A+ Potomac. If Perez returns to Potomac it will likely be as a corner outfielder. Goodwin likely in Hagerstown. Destin Hood will be in Harrisburg as well. That basically means they are going to be considered major league depth.

Gardner. Good question. No one has brought this up…. college still uses metal bats. But most programs participate in wood bat tournaments every year. They shouldn't be completely unfamiliar with the lumber.

Anon @ 1:52pm — So what's Alex Meyer, chopped liver? The guy pitched as long (3 years) at UK as Stras did at San Diego State. He and Purke were probably the biggest reasons Rizzo was as willing to give up as much as he did for Gio. Purke they obviously did that dye MRI so the shoulder issues didn't make him a total crapshoot, but Meyer was expected to be as close to MLB ready as any other prospect in the system.More testimony to the pitching fortress Rizzo has built here (along with a solid 1 1/2 MLB-capable bullpens).

Anon @ 1:52pm — So what's Alex Meyer, chopped liver? The guy pitched as long (3 years) at UK as Stras did at San Diego State. He and Purke were probably the biggest reasons Rizzo was as willing to give up as much as he did for GioMeyer is NOT left-handed steady dude. They are short in that department which is one reason why they traded for Gio. Lannan is at best a #5. Detwiler still unproven and then its the list I gave.Plus, Meyer is still growing. Its going to take some time for him to adjust to his height. He'll be in the lower minors to start as a result. Still no telling whether he ends up a starter or reliever. He should be able to throw 100+ eventually.

Well that sucks. With men on second and third and two outs, B Harper just popped out to the catcher on the first pitch.Always was a slow starter, and credit the pitcher for expecting Oppo to be eagerly free-swinging.And like you Michele, getting little work done….

Anon @2:16 — No one said anything about lefties. The point about Meyer is he's not a baby at 22 years old, and if he's close to MLB ready ge'll come up fast regardless of where he starts out.As to sending him to the pen — remember all the smart pundits who said Peacock would only ever be a reliever? Rizzo was saying he might have used the #6 pick non Meyer us Rendon hadn't been available (as it wasn't clear they could sign Bubba Starling), and you fon't use that high a pick on a reliever unless you've just gotten strikeout Jesus.

I don't know how Harper can be described as "always a slow starter"? Every year he joins a more advanced bunch of guys, and adjusts as quickly as anybody could hope. Let's give the boy a summers worth of the Bigs, and see how slow he starts, next year….

Always was a slow starter, and credit the pitcher for expecting Oppo to be eagerly free-swinging.Unkyd tood care of the slow starter comment — as for the second half of the sentence, didn't he walk on four pitches in the first inning?

Steady Eddie–that popup with 2 in scoring position was not Harper but Destin Hood. The box score indicates that Hood came in for Harper after three plate appearances, and that Hood left 2 in scoring position with 2 out while Harper did not leave any. You must have been following Gsmeday as I was–they were VERY bad today at keeping track of subsitutions, especially for the Nats

I love the format. This beats a boxscore and Gameday… not just numbers and events but a journalists' impressions… you don't get the impressive speed of a fastball or a base-runner from a boxscore!Maybe it will catch on and we could get this every game!